It took a while, but Laguna Beach has a new city manager, Dave Kiff, a former Newport Beach city manager.
The official approval will take place at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
According to the city, Kiff worked in Newport for about 20 years, including nine as city manager before he moved to Sonoma County. He is also a former long-time Laguna Beach resident.
Kiff has extensive experience dealing with homeless issues. For the last several years he served as the director of Sonoma County’s Homelessness Services Division. While in Newport, he was on the homelessness Continuum of Care Board in Orange County representing city managers.
Assuming he’s approved, Kiff will earn an annual salary of $315,000 and get all the usual and customary perks.
Laguna has gone through a handful of city managers in recent years. Ken Frank held the job from 1979 to 2010, followed by John Pietig until June 2021. Shohreh Dupuis left in late 2023. Sean Joyce filled in as a temporary replacement.
